We are constrained to alert the public, the diplomatic community and all lovers of democracy worldwide that Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun state in collaboration with the electoral commission has commenced an elaborate plot to rig the July 16 governorship elections. In the last few days, top aides of the Governor have been holding nocturnal meetings with operational staff of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun state.
We are in possession of detailed scheming to hijack the electoral commission by populating the electoral officials with direct nominees of the Governor. Just two days ago, a top aide of the governor held several hours of meetings with operation officials of the electoral body at Osogbo. The focus was the doctoring of the list of presiding officers to conduct the July elections.
The public would recall that INEC had originally placed advertisement calling on interested individuals to apply for electoral positions including that of presiding officers. Rather than allow INEC to process the responses to the advertisement, we want to inform the public that Governor Oyetola through his aides has hijacked the compilation of list of presiding officers for the 30 local government and the Area office. A particular meeting was held where the Governor’s men specifically fixed names of presiding officers for each of the local government.
We are shocked with the barefaced reprehensible partisanship of some top officials of INEC in Osun. They act more like APC members than an unbiased electoral umpire they are statutorily mandated to be. There can be no justification for an electoral agency to be jointly determining the list of election officials. This conduct undermines the integrity of the electoral process, cast doubt on the readiness of INEC to conduct a credible election and confirm that the electoral body is still hell bent to aid the repeat of rigging widely perpetrated during 2018 governorship elections.
The regular, evil manipulatory meetings between the Governor’s team and the electoral body portend grave danger to free and fair election and a threat to the peace and security of Osun state. We want to put all relevant agencies and bodies both locally and internationally on notice that our people will resist any attempt to rig the July 16 elections. We warn election riggers to beware because a repeat of 2018 won’t happen in 2022. We will settle for nothing except a free and fair poll.
We are consequently raising a strong petition to the national headquarters of INEC, detailing the untoward activities of its state office. We call on the national chairman of INEC to call his men in Osun to order. The palpable tension in Osun state should not be aggravated further by evil activities of those afraid of the will of the people.
Signed
Hon Sunday Bisi,
Director General,
Senator Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation (SAACO)
